MLK Day summit preaches a message of community for Island youngsters

Advance photos/Hilton FloresGuests at the Martin Luther King Day of Service “Step Up/Speak Out” Family Summit take part in a workshop on the transition from street corners to board rooms, titled “From G’s to Gents.”STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- “I started singing. I started clapping. I started dancing.”

The words from Marvin Sapp’s gospel song, “Praise Him in Advance,” rang through the halls of the Center for the Arts at the College of Staten Island, Willowbrook, this afternoon.

Then the music cut out.

A technical glitch left a lone interpretive dancer standing mid-stage and motionless with nearly 300 pairs of eyes trained on her.

And that’s when it happened.

The thoughts and themes of community promoted for eight straight hours during the Third Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service “Step Up/Speak Out” Family Summit transformed from a set of ethereal ideals into a tangible reality.

Antwaun Gavins of Port Richmond, left, talks with Carl Jackson of the Staten Island Children’s Museum.The collection of youngsters in attendance — children, teens and tweens — stepped in and started singing the melody of the song.

Three years ago, Ms. Brothers-Mohamed, listed as the program’s “visionary,” began pitching the idea of having a full day of workshops, discussions and entertainment in order to help the borough’s youth address issues like crime, low self-esteem and failing family structures.

A 1995 alumna of CSI’s Searching for Education, Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program, the public school teacher founded a group called the Young, Talented and Gifted for similar reasons.

For “Step Up/Speak Out,” fittingly scheduled annually for the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, she reached out across the board.

SEEK, the Black Male Initiative and the Liberty Partnership Program came together in collaboration with the local branch of the New York Urban League, putting together fitting seminars and requesting support from other nonprofits and local businesses.

Those in attendance had candid discussions about topics such as education, abstinence, self-esteem, dressing for success and the male transition from street corners to board rooms, the latter of which was titled, “From G’s to Gents.”

“We talked about how everyone is responsible for their community,” said Ms. Landry. “And this conference encompassed all the different [facets] of that connection. And the message was given to them all day long... that, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘everybody can be great... because anybody can serve.’”